A thermal vision system (not shown) generally consists of a camera that senses heat from the environment and processes the signals electronically. The electronic signals are then transformed into a virtual image that is projected onto a display for viewing. These systems are designed to detect differential temperature to generate image resolution and therefore are limited in their ability to instantaneously process and respond to large increases or decreases in ambient light whether or not it is in the visible spectrum.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,700,078, 5,771,326, 5,791,757, 5,796,904, 5,857,770, 5,890,796, 5,971,578, 6,036,340, 6,422,713, and 6,429,429, which are all currently owned by Ford Global Technologies of Dearborn, Mich., teach laser illumination systems which are generally for automotive use. These patents are incorporated by reference for all purposes.